Contest aims to help girls prepare for future
RATHDRUM – After more than two months of practice, the 19 participants in the Lakeland Junior Miss contest are ready for the spotlight Saturday night.
Each of the high school juniors will demonstrate her fulfillment of the Junior Miss motto, “Be your best self,” and compete for college scholarships.
The program will start at 7 p.m. at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. The contest, being sponsored by the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce, is open to the public; admission is $5.
“We have 19 amazing young women competing,” said Debbie Waddell, Junior Miss state co-director.
Each participant will be evaluated in five categories: interview, scholastics, talent, fitness and self-expression.
The interview and scholastics competition will take place Saturday morning with a separate panel of judges. The evening program, which is open to the public, will include the talent, fitness and self-expression segments.
The contestants have been practicing six hours a week for the past nine weeks under the tutelage of program director and choreographer Sabrina Waddell, Debbie Waddell’s daughter, and Sidney Hammond, Lakeland’s current Junior Miss.
In the talent competition, each contestant will have 90 seconds to display a skill of her choosing. The contestants will demonstrate a range of skills, including gymnastics, dance and piano.
“One participant is being very creative and is doing floral arranging,” Debbie Waddell said.
A choreographed aerobic routine demonstrating the girls’ endurance, flexibility and coordination will make up the fitness contest. Each participant will have a short solo at the end of the group routine.
The sweats come off and the evening gowns go on for the self-expression competition, in which the judges will be evaluating poise, sense of style and public-speaking skills.
“It’s an opportunity for the participants to display their grace and presence on stage, as well as a speaking portion where the judges will ask them a question,” Waddell said.
The contest is about more than scholarships and a title, according to Waddell. It’s about developing positive qualities in young women.
“We try to give them skills they can use going forward, not just for this competition,” she said.
The winner of the Lakeland Junior Miss title will receive a one-year tuition waiver at North Idaho College or a $750 cash scholarship.
The first alternate will receive one year’s tuition at NIC or a $500 scholarship, while the second alternate will receive one year’s tuition at NIC or a $350 scholarship.
The winner in each of the five contest categories will receive a $150 scholarship.
In addition, a $100 scholarship will be presented with the Spirit of the Junior Miss Award. The award, voted on by the contestants, will be given to the individual who best exemplifies the Junior Miss philosophy, Waddell said.
Founded in 1958, America’s Junior Miss promotes education and personal development of college-bound high school girls through local, state and national contests and its scholarships. More than 700,000 young women have participated in Junior Miss programs nationwide.
America’s Junior Miss headquarters is in Mobile, Ala., where the national finals take place each summer.